http://mmajunkie.comSUNRISE, Fla. – Mike Pierce kept the theme from the preliminary card alive – a win is a win.

Pierce was able to use the strength of his wrestling game Friday to outwork Carlos Eduardo Rocha, staying away from the dangerous Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s submission attempts en route to an odd split decision win with scores of 27-30, 30-27, 30-27.

After one scoring error earlier on the card, eyebrows raised when the score was read, as it appeared that Pierce had done enough to cruise through all three rounds.

The welterweight fight took place at UFC on FX 3 at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. It closed out the preliminary card broadcast on FUEL TV prior to an FX-televised main card.

The crowd didn’t love the fight – as was the case with several other bouts earlier on the prelims. But Pierce was able to land takedowns to then control the fight on the ground, and when the fight was standing he was able to bully Rocha to the cage several times to tie him up.

Rocha was left to look for submission attempts from his back while also truing to fend off Pierce’s ground-and-pound attack. But the closest he came was transitioning from an armbar to a heel hook in the second round that Pierce was wise enough to pull out of and go back to his feet.

Late in the fight, Pierce (14-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) mounted his biggest burst of offense in the bout, raining down punches with Rocha (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) on his back against the cage. But it wasn’t enough to get a stoppage.

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